King Guillermo Could Head Straight to Kentucky Derby

Victor Martinez and Samy Camacho met for the first time March 4. By the time they finished talking, they shared a belief that the unsung 3-year-old colt King Guillermo could win the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby (G2) three days later at Tampa Bay Downs.

"Samy said, 'If this horse keeps going like he has been in his workouts, we're winning the race,'" said Martinez, the retired Major League Baseball slugger who owns King Guillermo under his Victoria's Ranch banner. "It gave me such a great feeling. He had so much faith in the horse, it gave me a lot of confidence."

King Guillermo, who paid $100.40 to win, justified that belief, speeding to a 4 3/4-length victory over favorite Sole Volante in a time of 1:42.63 for the 1 1/16-mile distance, the third-fastest time in the race's 40-year history.

The Uncle Mo  colt earned 50 qualifying points toward a spot in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1), which is typically enough to be among the top 20. Martinez said he and trainer Juan Carlos Avila will discuss the plans for their next move over the next several days, but there's a chance King Guillermo could go straight to the Kentucky Derby.

But first Martinez must pay $6,000 by March 30 to make King Guillermo a late Triple Crown nominee, a formality the owner plans to attend to when he descends from the clouds.

"We're still up in the air," he said Sunday morning.

And Camacho will be there with them, Martinez said.

"He put him in the Kentucky Derby, he'll ride him in the Kentucky Derby," Martinez said.

Camacho, like Martinez and Avila, is from Venezuela and felt an instant kinship upon meeting Martinez, who retired after the 2018 season with 246 home runs, 1,178 RBIs, and a .295 batting average in 16 seasons with the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, and Detroit Tigers.

"We talked about everything—about business, about life, about baseball—and the thing that was most important to him was that I had faith in the horse," Camacho said. "He's a humble person who loves racing.

"I had asked Juan Carlos Avila two weeks ago to ride this horse, because I love how he runs."

Although he had not ridden King Guillermo, Camacho based his confidence on the replays of King Guillermo's first three races, all as a 2-year-old, including a third-place finish in the Nov. 30 Pulpit Stakes on the turf at Gulfstream Park. That race was won by Sole Volante.

"I just wanted to break well (Saturday) because we were in (post 11), and it's a short run to the first turn," Camacho said. "The only thing we needed was for him to be relaxed and comfortable, and we got good position (behind pacesetter Relentless Dancer). I made one run between the half-mile pole and the three-eighth-mile pole, and he showed what he can do."